


Sea of Love

by Dragons_Heart



Series: Obikin Week 2k18 [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Mermaid, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mermaid!Obi-Wan, Obikinweek, Pirate!Anakin, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 18:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15345693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragons_Heart/pseuds/Dragons_Heart
Summary: Obi-Wan has always been wary of humans, having grown up on stories of how they hunt and kill merfolk. He fears and distrusts them. And then a pirate captain drops his anchor on Obi-Wan's home, changing his life forever.





	Sea of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Obikin Week Day 2!
> 
> Today's prompts were a Soulmate AU and Mythology AU.
> 
> So here's some mermaid!Obi-Wan to satisfy those needs.
> 
> Enjoy!

The waves had been quiet recently, a fact Obi-Wan was grateful for. He didn’t know who or what pissed Poseidon off, but when it happened and the water was restless, it stressed the merman out. His scales lost their luster, his fins went limp, and he became more reclusive than normal.

But on days like today, when the water was calm and warm, he was at his best. He could drift lazily in the currents and work in his kelp garden. It made his trips from his grotto to town more pleasant. His spirits were always up and conversing with his fellow mer were enjoyable when he was in a good mood. Even his preferred solitude was better with gentle seas and the warmth of sunlight piercing down to the ocean floor.

Obi-Wan spent most of the day out and relished in the nice weather; it was the first day in over a week that conditions had been perfect for him. He even grabbed a bite of food in town before heading home for the evening. He quickly settled in and he soon was lounging on his bed with some light reading. His tail fins flicked lazily as he relaxed, bathed in his lamp light. He could easily fall asleep like this.

Just as he was nodding off, he was startled by a loud _THUD_ on the roof of his grotto, followed by the scraping of metal over rock. Obi-Wan scowled. He’d forgotten the one downside to nice weather.

Humans.

Grouchy, Obi-Wan swam out of his grotto to take a look and groaned. Just as he feared, a large anchor was now resting on his roof. He didn’t even want to consider the amount of time it would take to repair the damage the mass of iron had caused. Humans were so inconsiderate of creatures around them.

The mer turned his eyes above him and, with a powerful swish of his tail, swam up towards the ship floating above his home. He moved quickly but slowed down once he neared the bottom of the vessel. He knew better than to charge in head first with humans. He would have to be cautious if he didn’t want to find himself in a net, or worse, with a harpoon through his tail. So he simply floated near the bottom of the ship. He could be patient and wait.

And he didn’t have to wait long. Just a few minutes passed and a smaller boat (Obi-Wan couldn’t recall what the humans called them) splashed down on the starboard side. Slowly, he swam up closer to the surface where he could hear. Their words were muffled, but he could hear the humans laughing as they rowed away. Obi-Wan poked his head up just enough once there was some distance to see them heading for the island not to far away. Good, let them row off and be occupied by the island town and get drunk. It would give him time to examine the ship and plan some kind of revenge. Probably seaweed bombs, he was good at making those.

Diving back down, Obi-Wan swam over to the port side. He resurfaced and pushed back a bit so he could get a good look at the ship. It certainly wasn’t the largest ship he’d seen, but it couldn’t be considered small either. And it was beat up, the sides scorched in places. Its sails were dark, and he saw no colors flying. Which meant the humans were most likely pirates.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Obi-Wan stared up at the ship, his nose wrinkling in disgust. He would have to be extra creative this time. And careful. A pirate would do anything to get their hands on him.

As he was looking for nooks and crannies where he could place traps, he saw movement and he froze. Someone was walking along the deck. Someone was still on board.

Fear had Obi-Wan trapped in place and all he could do was hope it was dark enough that he wouldn’t be noticed. The human would go below deck soon enough. He just needed to wait.

The human came up to the rail of the ship and Obi-Wan held his breathe. Please, please, _please,_ don’t let him be seen.

He should’ve dove down again. “Hey! You okay? Need help?” the human called, having leaned against the rail and looking right at him. He sounded like he meant well, but Obi-Wan knew better.

Jolted out of his frozen terror, Obi-Wan’s eyes widened and he darted, diving down beneath the water and charging under the ship. He couldn’t risk leading the human home, but he hoped he was going to ignore him, let him go.

Of course, he couldn’t get off so easily. In front of his face, he saw the bubbles of a splash down and the form of the human looking around. Obi-Wan had to admit, he was handsome. He was muscular and his long, dirty blonde hair floated around him elegantly. He even had a scar crossing his right eye when his profile was facing Obi-Wan.

He then twisted so he was facing Obi-Wan, and of course, saw him. He pointed and grinned and opened his mouth, only to inhale water. He tried to cough and squirm, but he was only making his situation worse.

‘Idiot!’ Obi-Wan burst forward, wrapping his arms around the human and dragging him back up to the surface. The human inhaled deeply and coughed, throwing up mouthfuls of water. Obi-Wan stayed and held him up until he could breathe and tread water on his own, releasing him the moment he felt like he wouldn’t drown. He may not like humans, but he would never physically harm or kill one.

“Wait!” the human said as Obi-Wan started to swim away. “Please.”

Obi-Wan paused and turned back to him, bobbing silently in the water.

“Thank you,” the human continued. “For saving me. I’m sorry, I got overly excited. I’ve never met a mermaid before.”

He reached out towards Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan quickly darted back a foot. The human lowered his hand.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. My name’s Anakin.”

Obi-Wan blinked at him, watching him closely and ready to dart if he came closer again.

“What’s your name? Can you even understand me? Do mermaids speak a different lang—”

“Obi-Wan.”

“Huh?”

“My name’s Obi-Wan.”

The human—Anakin—smiled. “Pleasure to meet you, Obi-Wan.”

“You hit my house.”

Anakin blinked a few times. “I…what?”

“Your anchor hit my house.”

“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t know it was down there, we were trying to avoid the reef and this spot was the only one we knew that was open water. Well, I knew we hit a rock because we have excess chain…” Anakin shook his head. “I’m really sorry. Do you want me to move it?”

Now it was Obi-Wan’s turn to blink. “Um…”

“Seriously, I can,” Anakin said. “I’ll go hoist it up and we can move it, if you don’t mind helping me guide it off.”

Obi-Wan considered the offer carefully, wondering if this could end up being a trap. Anakin seemed genuine, but humans weren’t usually trustworthy.

“All right.”

Anakin smiled and nodded before turning and swimming back to his ship. The mer watched him a bit warily before diving down into the water. He hovered by the anchor, a part of him doubting Anakin would actually move it. His fears believed the human was preparing a net to snare him with and would then sell him as a pet or kill him for his scales.

But then the anchor rose. Obi-Wan grabbed he chain and pulled, guiding the metal away from his grotto a good distance. Once he felt satisfied, he pushed upwards again and broke the surface of the water.

“You can drop, but go slow!” he called up.

“On it!”

Obi-Wan nodded and dove down again, helping to guide the anchor down to the soft sands. Satisfied, he went back to the surface.

“Thank you,” he said, seeing Anakin leaning against the rail of his deck.

“Yeah, don’t mention it,” the human replied. “I’m sorry again. I’ll…pay you for the damages? I have some gold, if you want it.”

“No, that…that’s all right. I’ll just repair it.”

“You sure?”

Obi-Wan gave a nod, and Anakin shrugged.

“Can I see you again?” Anakin asked.

“When does your crew come back?”

“Not for several days. Don’t you want to meet them?”

Obi-Wan shook his head and sank further in the water.

“Ok, I get it, you’re scared of humans. But I’ll be alone for a while, I promise.”

“There’s an outcropping of rocks,” Obi-Wan said, pointing towards the island and to the right. “Meet me there in the morning.”

And then he dove back down, cutting off Anakin’s farewell.

* * *

“So, why are you so afraid of us?”

Obi-Wan turned his gaze from the island to Anakin. The man was perched on top of a rock, his booted feet tucked underneath him. He was giving Obi-Wan, who was sitting lower and keeping his tail in the water, a quizzical look.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Anakin shrugged. “Should it be?”

“Humans capture and sell, or kill, my kind.”

“They…erm, we do?” Anakin asked. He tilted his head to the side, the sun pulling out blonde highlights in his hair. In the daylight, Obi-Wan noticed how tan his skin was. It suited him well. It contrasted against Obi-Wan’s own pale skin. It was the difference between direct light and filtered light, openness and reluctance.

“You’ve never seen mermaid scales for sale?” Obi-Wan asked and Anakin shook his head.

“No. You guys have always been a myth to us.”

Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed and he drew his tail up. “I was always taught humans would do anything to have a mer…”

“Well, whoever taught you that was wrong,” Anakin assured. “Mermaids are just legends. I’ve been on the sea for years and you’re the first I’ve ever even seen. No one takes the stories seriously anymore.”

“Not even…” Obi-Wan gestured towards Anakin.

“Pirates?”

Obi-Wan nodded.

Anakin shifted down the rock, so he was sitting closer to the water, and closer to Obi-Wan. “We have our own legends, sure,” he said. “And I can’t speak for everyone. But me and my crew…we’re not that superstitious and we’re not violent pillagers. A lot of us are just outcasts and found a home with each other. My first mate was an orphan in her town and decided she wanted to attach to me, for some reason.”

“What about you?” Obi-Wan asked. “How’d you become the captain of a pirate gang?”

The blonde’s expression turned sad. His answer made Obi-Wan regret asking. “I was a slave boy.”

“Anakin, I—”

“It’s okay,” Anakin said, offering up a weak smile. “I’ve made my peace with it. I’m just not the biggest fan of people because of it. Kind of like you,” he added, and Obi-Wan had to chuckle.

“Something we have in common, then.”

“We have a lot in common, I think.”

Despite himself, Obi-Wan felt his cheeks coloring pink. He hoped Anakin didn’t notice, and if he did, he was gracious enough not to point it out.

“Can I ask which myths are true?” Anakin asked after a moment passed.

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” He let his tail dip back down into the water and splashed some water up on his arm fins as well. “What do you want to know?”

Anakin bit his lip in thought as he observed Obi-Wan. “What happens if you dry out?”

“Mainly, I get itchy,” Obi-Wan admitted. “Too dry though, or for too long, my tail can get sunburned and then would end up molting.” He wrinkled his nose a bit. “It’s kind of disgusting, actually.”

“I can imagine.” Anakin gave a small shudder, but then cocked his head to the side. “But it won’t kill you right?”

“Nope.”

“What about the whole “growing legs” idea?”

“Complete myth.”

“Huh. Okay then.” Obi-Wan thought Anakin looked disappointed. “So…what about singing? Someone told me mermaids were supposed to have beautiful singing voices.”

“We do,” Obi-Wan confirmed.

Anakin’s bright, blue eyes lightened up. “Will you sing for me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Aw, come on! You don’t have to be shy.”

“I’m not.” The mer’s shoulders sank and he looked down at his tail swishing back and forth in the water. “There’s a reason the ancient Greeks feared us.”

“You mean sirens are—”

“Yup.”

“But surely there are exceptions—”

“There’s not.”

“So, if you sang, I’d die…”

Obi-Wan frowned and playfully splashed water at the pirate, chuckling when he scowled. “Not necessarily,” he said. “It’s just that our songs are meant for courting or community. They’re sacred to us but can be rather hypnotic to human ears. Which often results in humans drowning.”

“Yeah, I can see how that would be bad.”

The pair sat in silence, an awkward sense of morbidity hanging in the air around them.

“I can help a human breathe underwater,” Obi-Wan eventually stated.

That made Anakin perk up. “Really? How?”

Obi-Wan smirked and leaned forward. “With a kiss.”

Now it was Anakin’s turned to blush. “Can I try?” he asked, catching Obi-Wan by surprise.

The mer smiled and flicked his tail. “Maybe tomorrow.”

* * *

The next few days were spent in Obi-Wan’s grotto, his kiss working well on Anakin. The human man didn’t stay long the first day, the effect of the kiss lasting only a few hours. Plus, it was a day he was needed on shore, so their time was cut short. Obi-Wan found that he missed Anakin when he left.

The second day, Anakin spent most of the day with Obi-Wan, listening with awe as he explained mer culture and customs. And Anakin asked questions about mer, but also about Obi-Wan. What he liked, what his favorite foods were, his preferred stories. The mer opened up easily. Anakin was easy to talk to. He made Obi-Wan smile and laugh. He made Obi-Wan happy, and quite easily too. No other mer had made Obi-Wan feel the way the handsome pirate did.

By the third day, their kisses weren’t just so Anakin could breathe. In fact, Obi-Wan was the first to initiate one of those kisses.

“What was that for?” Anakin asked, blushing. His words were a bit muffled, but he was more understandable than he had been the first time he’d tried speaking underwater.

“Because I like kissing you,” Obi-Wan admitted, his own cheeks pink and his gills flaring from embarrassment.

Anakin pulled the mer close and kissed him again. “I like kissing you too.”

They spent the afternoon lying in Obi-Wan’s bed, enjoying each other’s company and kissing each other. Obi-Wan had his tail wrapped around Anakin’s legs, partly for closeness, but also to keep him from floating away. They didn’t need to speak. Their closeness and emotions spoke for them.

But all too soon night fell, and Anakin had to return to his ship.

“I’ll miss you, Obi-Wan,” he said softly.

“I’ll miss you too.”

Obi-Wan gave his pirate one last kiss before he disappeared to the surface.

* * *

“We’re leaving port tomorrow.”

Obi-Wan shot upright. “What?”

The human and mer were sitting on the outcropping of rocks again. Anakin had his boots off with his feet in the water with Obi-Wan’s tail, and Obi-Wan had been laying over his lap. Until Anakin had spoke, that was, and he now sat beside him, eyes wide and heart hurting.

“We’ve stayed too long,” Anakin said. “My crew wants out again. And I need the open seas. They’re my home.”

“Oh. I see.” Obi-Wan hung his head, his scales visibly losing their luster as he grew upset.

Anakin wrapped his fingers around Obi-Wan’s hand, using his other hand to lift the mer’s face. “You can come with us.”

“How?” Obi-Wan asked. “I would love too, but I don’t think I can keep up with your ship.”

“We can bring you on board,” Anakin replied. “And we’ll stop everyday so you can be in the water. We’re roamers. We don’t have destinations usually.”

“But your crew—”

“Will love you just like I do.”

“Well, I hope they won’t be _just_ like you.”

Anakin laughed and pulled the mer close, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “You know what I meant.”

“I do, yes.”

“So how about it.”

Obi-Wan took a brief moment to think. “I’ll come,” he said, grinning from gill to gill.

* * *

 

Obi-Wan had never felt sea spray on his face before. But from his spot hanging on to the rail at the bow of Anakin’s ship, he could feel it all. Sea spray, the wind in his hair. It was wonderful.

The crew was just as welcoming as Anakin had promised. His first mate, Ahsoka, was particularly fun and curious. She fired her questions off in rapid fire, but he didn’t mind. He liked her.

Rex was a bit harder to open up, but he and Obi-Wan shared a want for knowledge. Obi-Wan had found himself swapping stories with the man as Anakin had been prepping the ship to take off.

He leaned further over the railing, watching how the ship cut through the water. It was fascinating to see how a ship moved from up here.

“Careful, don’t fall,” Anakin said, wrapping his arm around Obi-Wan’s waist to steady him.

“I’m alright, don’t worry so much.”

“I know but that’s a nasty fall.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but pulled back. “Happy?”

“Very.” Anakin pulled Obi-Wan close and kissed his lips. “The crew wants to stop once we’re in free seas. Most are claiming land legs, but Ahsoka speaks for all of them when she said she wanted to swim with a mermaid. Do you mind?”

Obi-Wan chuckled and grinned. “Not at all.”

When they did stop, the crew loaded up into the dinghies (Anakin had told Obi-Wan their name when he asked) and dropped to the water. Anakin stood beside Obi-Wan at the railing as the last one was filled. “Want to ride down?”

Obi-Wan smirked. “I’m good.” He was sitting on the rail, so he simply leaned back and dove smoothly into the water. When he surfaced, the crew in the boats and in the water whooped and hollered in excitement.

“Come on in, Cap!” Ahsoka called up to Anakin on the ship. “Water’s great!”

Anakin laughed and grinned. Obi-Wan saw him take a few steps back before running forward, leaping over the edge of the ship and landing in the water with a massive splash. He surfaced in front of Obi-Wan and kissed the mer.

As the crew wolf-whistled at them, the pair dove down, legs and tail wrapping around each other. When they came up several minutes later, they were surrounded by splashing and laughter from the crew.

And Obi-Wan was happy.

He was home.


End file.
